Grease-well journal box dust guard



b- 1950 s. w. CLUTTON 2,497,864

GREASE-WELL JOURNAL BOX DUST GUARD Filed Jan. 23,- 1948 I NVEN T( )R.

50272 W (jazz/0% ATTORNEYS Patented Feb. 21, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,497,864; 4 GREASE-WELL JOURNAL BOX DUST GUARD Sam William Clutton, Great Falls, Mont. Application January 23, 1948, Serial No. 3,877

2 Claims.

This invention relates to a journal box dust guard or protector, and more particularly to a device of this character, that is provided with a reservoir for a hot box coolant or other solidified emergency lubricants, at a point where it is available for self-application through thermal action and gravity as soon as a hot box begins to develop.

It is generally common practice to provide a dust guard or protector for journal boxes, but primarily these guards or protectors are used to exclude dust and track ballast or dirt from the journal box.

The invention, in addition to this function, provides a grease-well which will retain grease or other lubricants which will lubricate the axle. The grease or lubricant, under ordinary conditions, remains in solidified form, but in the event a hot box develops, will, through thermal action, and gravity, lubricate the axle to prevent damages that arise from causes created by a hot box.

With the above and other advantages in view, the invention consists of the novel details of construction, arrangement and combination of parts more fully hereinafter described, claimed and illustrated in the accompanying drawing in which:

Figure 1 is a vertical, longitudinal section through a journal box having an embodiment of the invention applied thereto;

Figure 2 is a front elevation of the protector or guard;

Figure 3 is a top plan view of Figure 2 and Figure 4 is a sectional view on the line 4-4 of Figure 2.

Referring more in detail to the drawing, there is shown a car axle Ill, having a journal portion ll bearing on a brass I2. The brass I2 is carried in a journal box l3, which may be of any desired construction.

Adjacent the rear section of the journal box I3, there is provided slots l4 in which are placed the dust guard or protector l5 embodying the invention.

The dust guard or protector i5 is constructed of live-ply cross-grained bonded plywood or of equivalent five-ply counterboard. The dust guard is shaped to conform to the contour of the journal box l3, and has the opening it, through which the axle extends.

Placed on the upper edge of the dust guard or protector is a grease-well or reservoir ll, which is of rectangular shape, and of the same length as the dust guard or protector is wide. The bottom I 8 of the well or reservoir I! has a downwardly inclined portion [9, and a downwardly inclined portion 20. The inclination of these portions is toward the center of the bottom, where there is formed the downwardly inclined and inset spout 2i. Thus if a solidified lubricant is placed in the well, it will, when liquified by thermal action, be liberated from the well through the spout onto the journal H.

The sides of the well do not, at their lower longitudinal edges, conform to the shape of the bottom, but extend below the bottom to form retaining flanges 22. These flanges engaging the groove 23 in the outer plies of the protector, retain the well in place on the upper edge of the protector.

The spout 2i being inset, does not extend beyond the plane surface of the protector, so that no projection exists that will interfere with the usual operation of the journal in its box. The spout 2! engaging an inset hip or inclined recess 2t in the protector insures proper retaining of the well to prevent lateral movement of the Well on the protector to move the spout out of alinement with the axle, should the protector become worn during its uses.

The well is made of some light weight metal, and on installation, is protected by the usual dust guard plug, not shown in the drawings.

The use of the improved dust guard and protector will, it is believed, be apparent to those skilled in the art, and it is to be understood that changes in the minor details of construction, arrangement and combination of parts may be resorted to, provided such changes fall within the spirit of the invention and the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. A dust guard or protector for railway journal boxes, which is adapted to be inserted in slots in a journal box, comprising a body portion constructed of five-ply crossgrained material which is provided with an axle opening in the center thereof, a reservoir on the upper edge of said body to receive a lubricant, a spout to said reservoir overlying the axle opening which will feed the lubricant outwardly of the reservoir when said lubricant is effected by a rise in temperature, and bottom of the reservoir being provided with two downwardly inclined portions terminating at the spout, and the spout being inset with relation to the plane surface of the body.

2. A dust guard or protector for railway journal boxes, which is adapted to be inserted in slots in a journal box, comprising a body portion constructed of five-ply cross-grained material which 3 is provided with an axle opening in the center REFERENCES CITED thereof, a reservoir on the upper edge of said body to receive a lubricant, a spout to said reserg s gg ggf gg are of record m the voir overlying the axle opening which will feed the lubricant outwardly of the reservoir when said lubricant is effected by a rise in temperature, the

UNITED STATES PATENTS sides of the reservoir extending below the bottom fig g gs' g $1922 thereof, to provide depending flanges for retain- 1724919 1929 ing the reservoir on the body, and the body being 224401331 'igfi' 1948 provided with an inclined hip to engage the spout 10 and prevent lateral displacement of the reservoir with regard to the body.

SAM WILLIAM CLUT'ION. 

